They're All Watching You, Reid
by parallelpandora
Summary: The team has noticed something going on with Reid. But is it what they expect?
1. Be Alert

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters. Just a fan, man.**

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Reid rubbed his temples, and tried, unsuccessfully, to focus on what Hotch was saying. Hotch had ushered them into the meeting room about 10 minutes earlier; they were being called on to help solve a new serial murder case in Atlanta. Reid was trying to follow what everyone was saying but there were too many voices.

"Reid, what do you think?" Hotch said loudly, interrupting the group. He was a little worried that the junior profiler hadn't brought any opinions to the table, or spouted any of his usual statistics.

"Um, yeah, sorry," said Reid, leaning forward. He tilted his head to the side. "Um, yeah. Okay."

He quickly looked at the notes in the folder in front of him and scanned the crime scene photos. "The killer appears to be disorganized, and even though each victim is female, there's a lack of sexual component to the crimes. There's a lack of pre or post-mortem torture, and they were buried face down – that suggests a killer that feels impotent and has some sense of remorse."

Reid became aware of the others staring at him.

"Reid, dude. That was pretty much exactly what Emily and I just covered," said Morgan, his eyebrows raised.

"Uh, sorry," said Reid. He was twitchy and looked around at everybody, embarrassed. "Sorry, um, I have a, I have a headache."

"Well, we have to leave for Atlanta in an hour. Let me know if you're not up to it," said Hotch, his voice as serious and straight to the point as ever.

Reid swallowed and nodded. He glanced over at Rossi, and noticed the senior profiler leaning back in his chair, staring at him. Reid looked away quickly, feeling very uncomfortable in his gaze.

"Yeah, no, I should be okay. Just a headache. That's all," said Reid, not looking or speaking to anyone in particular as they all got up from the table. He then walked really fast out of the room, ahead of everyone else.

"Guys, wait," said Hotch. Reid was already at coffee maker across the bullpen. Morgan, JJ, Prentiss and Ross had barely just reached the door. He motioned for them to sit down.

"Shut the door," he said to JJ.

She looked out across at Reid. "You don't want me to go get Reid?" she said, confused.

"No, I don't," said Hotch, in an even more serious tone.

"Uh, okay," she said, quite clearly confused, as she sat down. Morgan and Prentiss looked at Hotch, brows furrowed. Rossi leant back in his chair, and he didn't look surprised.

Hotch looked around at them.

"Have any of you noticed anything… abnormal about Reid's behavior?" asked Hotch.

Derek laughed. "Hotch, man, Reid's behavior has always been pretty abnormal. What's this about?"

Hotch didn't share Derek's amusement. "Anything out of the ordinary? For Reid, I mean?"

"I really don't feel comfortable discussing Reid's behavior, particularly when he's 20 feet away. That's really not fair, Sir," said JJ, sounding a little indignant.

"I second that," said Prentiss.

Hotch put his hands up. "I know guys, but I have to be responsible for all agents in this unit. We have to be able to trust each other. I need to be able to trust each and every one of you in the field. I need to know."

Rossi leant forward. "I have to admit, I've been watching him. He's unfocused and can't seem to follow a simple conversation with more than one person. He's changed dramatically since I came back to the BAU."

Morgan smirked. "No offence Rossi, but you ain't been back that long, okay? Reid, he's been through a lot in the last year. This is a stressful job. We're all going to have days where we're not on the top of our game. Even boy genius can have those days."

Rossi listened to what Morgan had to say, and carefully worded what he said next.

"I understand that Doctor Reid is your friend, someone you work closely with everyday. I am going to be able to see his behaviour a little more objectively because of the fact I haven't been back long. How do you explain why lately he just sits at his desk and doesn't speak to anyone for most of the day? Or where he seems to be concentrating on listening to a conversation but can't seem to comprehend half of what is said? You can't tell me that is normal behaviour for him."

Morgan clenched his jaw and shook his head, hating the fact he had to agree.

Hotch looked around at all of them. "I think, keeping in mind his mother's illness, that we need to all be very vigilant in observing his behavior with this case. Okay?"

"What then?" asked Derek.

"Then, if there is something that has to be done, I'll do it," said Hotch. "I'm sorry, I won't have a choice."

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**Please R&R :) :) :)**


	2. Silence is Golden

**Sorry for not updating sooner! I've discovered why other people have mentioned how hard it is to write more than one story at once! I'm currently into a big Bones fanfic right now, so I'll try to update this one as much as I can. As you can probably tell, this isn't a case-based fic, I won't really be going into that, it's more of the personal stuff with Reid.**

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The team were on the jet and on their way to Atlanta an hour later. The crime scene photos were laid out on the largest table and the team sat around them, discussing elements of the crime. Reid couldn't help but feel like everyone was looking at him more than usual – the truth was, they were. He tried to keep up with the conversation and spouted some obscure but relevant facts and figures when he could. He was starting to feel quite paranoid...

It was a long going to be a long flight, so they all took a little break, grabbed coffee and spread themselves out amongst the comfy leather seats. Reid tried to grab a single chair in the back left-hand corner on his own, but a minute later Morgan sat down across from him, and Prentiss sat down across the narrow aisle.

"How you doin', Reid?" asked Derek, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Um, fine, I guess. I still have a bit of a headache, though," said Reid, frowning a little at him.

"You want some Advil?" asked Emily, holding it out to him across the aisle.

"Ah, no thanks. I've already taken some," said Reid, turning to look out the window. He hoped that if he was reasonably non-verbal, they'd stop talking to him.

Morgan threw Prentiss a look and Reid turned his head back in time to catch it in his peripheral vision. "What's going on, guys?" asked Reid, frowning.

"What do you mean?" asked Emily.

"I don't know. You both seem to be looking at me… strangely. Have I done something?" Reid folded his arms over himself, uncomfortable.

Morgan and Prentiss shook their heads. "No, man. Just wanted to make sure you're alright," said Derek.

"Okay," said Reid. He opened his satchel and pulled out his Ipod. He placed the buds in his ears and turned it on.

Derek and Emily couldn't help but hear the hard rock music blaring out. Derek waived his hand in front of Reid's face, prompting Reid to pull the buds out of his ears.

"Loud enough, man? I could hear that on the other end of the plane. Not to mention I didn't think that would be your type of music…" said Derek, laughing nervously, trying to make light of it.

Emily jumped in too. "Reid, I thought you had a headache."

"It's better," said Reid angrily. "And man, you don't know what type of music that I like, okay?" With that, he placed the buds back into his ears and stared back out of the window.

Prentiss and Morgan exchanged another look and got up. They went to the other end of the jet and sat near Hotch.

Once Reid saw they had moved away in his peripheral vision, he watched them talking to Hotch. They were whispering and every now and then he saw Hotch look over at him. He looked out of the window and clenched his jaw, letting the rock music blast through his ears, drowning out the noise.


	3. Moaning and Groaning

**Author's Note: Really, really sorry I haven't updated in so long, I've been writing a really long story for Bones, and now I realize why everyone says it's so hard writing more than one story at a time...**

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It didn't take long to get to the police station once they landed in Atlanta, and the team went through the case again, this time with the locals. Reid was quiet, but tried hard to listen and engage in the discussions, well aware that the rest of the team was scrutinizing him.

It was getting rather late, and Rossi suggested that they go to their hotel and start fresh on the crime scenes the next morning. They drove over in two SUVs, Hotch, Rossi and Prentiss in one, Morgan, Reid and JJ in the other. Reid couldn't help but feel that everytime he turned his head to look out the window Morgan was staring at him.

"What?!" said Reid aggressively.

"I really am just worried about you, Reid," said Morgan. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm _fine_," said Reid through gritted teeth.

"Because you know you can talk to us if there's something that's bothering you…" said Morgan carefully.

Reid ignored him and clenched his jaw, staring back out of the window. His headache was getting worse, and all he wanted to do was get some sleep. Alone.

When they got to the hotel, JJ went up to reception to collect their room keys. She handed one to Hotch and one to Morgan, and kept the third key for herself. Reid frowned. JJ saw the looks of confusion on their faces.

"There's a convention in town, they only had three double rooms on such short notice. I'll share with Emily, you guys work out who's sleeping with whom, so to speak," she smiled. Prentiss and JJ headed for the elevator.

"Come on, man," said Morgan, placing his hand on Reid's shoulder. Reid sighed and nodded but avoided his gaze. He followed him up to their room.

"Which bed do you want Reid?" asked Morgan, placing his bag down on the chair by the door. Reid didn't answer, just went over to the bed by the window and set his bag down.

"_Okay_ then," muttered Morgan under his breath.

"I'm going straight to bed," said Reid softly. "Don't wake me." He stripped down to his singlet and boxer shorts and crawled under the covers.

Morgan frowned and shook his head a little at Reid's behavior. He went into the bathroom to freshen up before getting into the other bed across the other side of the room. It didn't take long for Morgan to get to sleep, but he was soon woken by moans coming from the other agent's bed. Morgan lifted his head off the pillow and watched Reid. He had his hands over his ears and was moaning softly.

"Reid!" said Morgan. "What's up?" Reid didn't appear to hear him; he started rocking back and forth on his side, curled up in the foetal position. Morgan waited a few moments, before getting up out of the bed and approaching Reid, unsure of what he should do or say. Reid shifted in the bed and pulled the pillow up from below his head, jamming it into his exposed ear.

Morgan leant over him and shook his shoulder. Reid startled and threw the pillow on the floor as he sat up to look at Morgan.

"What?!" exclaimed Reid. "I told you not to wake me!"

"You were already awake, Reid," whispered Morgan, putting his hands up in surrender. "I was just making sure you're okay. You were moaning, man."

"Yeah, because I couldn't get to sleep!" said Reid. "You snore." With that he leaned over and picked his pillow up off the floor. He smacked it hard with his fist to fluff it up before slamming his head back down on it and glaring at Morgan, his eyes telling him to back off.

Morgan frowned and padded back to his bed, climbing back under the sheets. "No, I _do not_," whispered Morgan forcefully before turning over and falling back to sleep.

He would have to speak to Hotch in the morning.


	4. Listening Not Negotiable

**Author's Note: Sorry! I know it has been a _really _long time since I updated this story... I have made myself promise that I won't start any new stories until I complete the unfinished ones - and I have a lot of little plot bunnies running around in the old brain box. I am still going with my original plot line so I am hoping that any readers who were enjoying this story will come back to it. Thanks for all of the nice reviews and messages! My other inspiration for the update - I just finished watching a Reid-centric Criminal Minds marathon... Gotta love him!  
**

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The next morning, after presenting the profile of the unsub to the local police, Morgan pulled Hotch aside to talk to him about what he had observed with Reid. Hotch nodded sombrely as he listened, the concern evident on his staunch features.

"He needs help, man," said Morgan. "I just…"

"I know," cut in Hotch. "I'll speak to him. Just concentrate on the case, it's my job to handle this."

"Hotch, Reid is my friend, so it's also my job," said Morgan. "Just let me know if there is anything I can do."

"I will," said Hotch. "But right now you're too close to this. I need to look out for the best interests of this team first. Once this case is finished, I'll deal with it."

Morgan nodded, and looked across the office to Reid standing near the corner of the office, his arms folded in on himself as he tried to stay out of the hustle and bustle of the police station.

That night at the hotel, Reid was surprised to enter his room to find Hotch sitting on Morgan's bed. Hotch's bags were on the floor, and Morgan's bags were gone.

"Where's Morgan?" asked Reid as he put his satchel down.

"You said he snores, and it seems Rossi does too," said Hotch. "Now they can keep each other up."

Reid nodded, and busied himself by turning on the TV and flicking through the channels. He certainly wasn't ignorant to the real reason that Hotch was there - to keep an eye on him. He would have to cover better that night.

It was late so the TV was switched off and both agents went to bed. Reid scrolled through the files on his iPod until he found the track he was looking for. He still barely slept that night, but he managed to stay quiet.

In the morning, Hotch was surprised that he hadn't observed any of the behaviour that Morgan had told him about. But he did have to consider that he himself was a deep sleeper and just may not have woken to any noise.

It didn't take long to close the case; an anonymous tip was received after JJ released the profile to the media, leading the local PD straight to the killer. The team flew back to Quantico straight after debriefing.

Reid waited until the others were seated before choosing a seat by the window on the other end of the plane. He was getting his iPod out when Hotch stealthily sat down next to him, buckling himself in.

"What?" asked Reid, without looking up from his iPod.

"Are you okay, Reid?" asked Hotch quietly.

"I'm fine!" said Reid, clearly annoyed. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Because they're worried about you," said Hotch. "_I'm_ worried about you."

"Well don't be," said Reid, putting his earbuds in his ears dramatically. He stared straight out of the window, watching the ground move underneath them.

Hotch waited until the plane was airborne before yanking the earbuds out of Reid's ears.

"Hey!" exclaimed Reid.

Hotch glared at him, his eyes unblinking. Reid realised he'd overstepped, and gulped.

"We put our lives on the line every day with what we do. We have to be able to trust each other, Reid. Whatever is going on with you – you have to trust that I will understand, and help you in any way that I can. This team is my responsibility, and I have to make sure every single person on it is up to the job," said Hotch softly, his eyes boring into Reid. "Now, tell me again that you're fine."

Reid frowned and nodded slowly, thinking about it for a few minutes before responding.

"Okay," said Reid. "You're right. I'm not fine. I'm not fine at all."


	5. Not Hard to Hear

**_Author Note: Wow, it took me long enough to finish this story! Sorry everyone! I have a really bad habit of starting a story with good intentions and then before you know its months before I post again. _**

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Hotch listened quietly and intently to what Reid was telling him. He nodded, relieved but also concerned.

"You need to tell the rest of the team," said Hotch. "Now."

"Hotch, do I have to?" said Reid. "I mean I haven't really been able to get a handle on this myself yet."

Hotch frowned. "I understand that Reid, but right now everyone is concerned for you and your mental health. Don't you think that they will all understand?"

"I do, I guess," said Reid. "What about you? How is this going to affect my placement on the team?"

"I honestly don't think it will. I will have to make some changes but we can discuss that later," said Hotch. "I'm more concerned that you didn't feel that you could trust me enough to tell me."

"It's not that I didn't trust you. I guess I just didn't want to admit it to anyone. It's just so… frustrating," said Reid.

"I'm sure it is," said Hotch.

"I might just wait until we get back to Quantico," said Reid, looking up at the others on the other side of the plane. He could see Morgan throwing them a glance every now and again, a look of concern etched on his face.

"No. You need to tell them now," said Hotch. His voice was polite but firm. Reid gulped.

Hotch unbuckled himself and rose from his seat. He went over to the other end of the plane and turned around in front of the group.

"Everyone, can I have your attention please," said Hotch. Reid's face went red with embarrassment. "Doctor Reid has something to say."

Everyone turned to stare at Reid as he rose from his chair and joined the rest of the group. He sat down in the seat next to JJ.

"Uh, I," he stumbled. He stammered a bit more, not knowing how to say it. He fiddled with a lock of his hair before tucking it behind his ear.

"Dude," said Morgan. "What's up? We all know you've been acting weird."

"Well weirder than normal," joked Prentiss.

"I uh, don't have schizophrenia. I'm not hearing voices if that's what you were all thinking," said Reid. He swallowed hard. "It's a little embarrassing actually."

JJ patted him on the shoulder. "What is it Spence? You know you can tell us anything."

"Well, I guess I'm more embarrassed that I didn't tell any of you what was going on with me in the first place," said Reid. "It's actually not that bad, and I'm certainly not going crazy."

"Hey we didn't think you were going crazy, okay man?" said Morgan. "Just you know, we could tell something was up."

"Yeah I know," said Reid. "Wow, all eyes on me. Okay. Well, I have um… tinnitus."

There was an awkward silence.

"Tinnitus?" said JJ, surprised.

"Tinnitus?" said Morgan, frowning a little.

"Yes," said Reid.

"Like ringing in your ears, tinnitus?" said Morgan.

"Well that's a simplified explanation, yes," said Reid. "It is rather an… annoying problem for me right now."

"That's why you've been so… weird?" asked Prentiss.

"I don't know what you mean exactly by the word weird," said Reid.

"Cranky, tired, moody, appearing not to listen to or join in our discussions, listening to that awful loud music," explained Prentiss.

"Oh," said Reid. "Weird… I guess so."

JJ tapped Reid on the shoulder. "Hey, my Dad has tinnitus and listening to loud music is like the worst thing you can do. It will make the tinnitus worse in the long run, you know that right?"

"Yes, thanks, I do," said Reid. "But right now it is the only thing keeping me sane."

"Have you seen an audiologist?" asked Rossi.

"Yes, but I need further tests to determine the cause of the tinnitus and see if it can be treated," said Reid. "As soon as I get back I'll be looking into all of that."

"So they can do something about it?" asked Morgan.

"In most cases," said Reid. "Best case scenario it can be helped by surgery or an ear device. Worst case scenario I just have to learn to live with it." He looked sombre at that thought.

"Guys," interrupted Hotch. "As far as the team goes, Reid and I can discuss how this will be dealt with after he speaks to his specialist. For now, just keep it in mind and talk loudly and clearly." He sat down in his normal seat, and nodded at Reid. That clearly indicated the discussion was over if Reid wanted it to be.

Reid got up and went back to his seat at the other side of the plane, sticking his earbuds back in his ears. He hated being the centre of attention.

Everyone else was relieved just to know that Dr Spencer Reid was going to be okay. For the most part anyway.

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_**Author Note: I hope you liked it! Thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed my story, I do really appreciate it. This is the ending I had in mind all along (hence the wording of my story summary) and I was trying to get everyone to think he was mentally ill when that wasn't anywhere near the case. I hope it worked. And I'm sorry again to everyone who was waiting so long for this story to be finished - if you are one of them, thanks for hanging in there!**_


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